Nashville, TN---Your new CMA entertainer of the year, at age 61, is George Strait.

Really.

Strait had not won a top entertainer award in 23 years, but he walked away from the 47th CMA Awards holding the nightís biggest prize.

ďIím just blown away,Ē said Strait, a beloved figure in the industry and the first Country Music Hall of Famer to win the award since Eddy Arnold did so at the very first CMA Awards. Strait, whose farewell tour ends in 2014, is the oldest person ever to win the award, by more than a decade. This year, he notched his record 60th chart-topping hit.

The unprecedented nature of Straitís win was a surprising and, to many, thrilling conclusion to the night that also featured some not-so-surprises.